MOUNTAIN TRAVEL

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PROJECTS

MOUNTAINS

Knowledge of the sea and its immense power can take a lifetime to learn. Wisdom that comes from seafaring is hard-won and time tested. Our sailing excursions rely heavily on experience, yet we are never too stubborn to consider innovation. Young sailors and fresh perspectives often can save the day when the going gets rough. We cannot teach common sense, but we can recognize it. In an age when sailors are increasingly reliant on gadgetry to find their way in the ocean, it has never been more important to reclaim the traditions of the sea. The oral history of sailing and the particular affinity for spinning long yarns about voyages have carried our trade since ancient times. Without the old salts and their hands-on tricks of the trade our next generations will lose the traditions and the spirit of ocean voyaging. It is our goal to connect the wisdom of the past to the ambitious energy of the next generations. Safety in the ocean can never be assured, but it can be practiced. “Seaman of old were often able to predict the weather -and thus survive at sea- by observing the appearance of the sky, the direction of the wind, cloud formations, and other natural phenomena.”

-Ocean Almanac,

“Men walk as prophecies to the next age”

-Emerson

AFT

“20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bow lines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the tradewinds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover.”

     -Mark Twain

COMPENDIUM- N. A short, complete summary;  an abstract

At Lost Trades we are compiling our findings in one concise summary or Compendium. The contents are ever-changing and form the basis for our action. To quantify and qualify each fact we employ what we call the Axiom of Simplicity. Basically this means we look closely at the two polar opinions of an argument and we choose a central solution that presents itself as a means for change. Especially in terms of environmental solutions we are committed to the health of the Biosphere. It is easy for watch-dog agencies and onlookers to identify problems and point out short-comings: it is far more difficult to seize an issue and confront it head on with the intention of creating a positive outcome. In this context a healthy eco-sphere is easy to recognize, the morally righteous decision can be seen from a distance. The world is not an impossible riddle, but it demands effort, attention and personal sacrifice.

From the very large scale sailing vessels to small prototypes we build vessels that will withstand the test of time. Our methods are traditional in only one sense of the word, we insist that our wood vessels be constructed out of the finest materials available. The particular material types are always changing, but generally we use plywood to create the types of things seen on this page and throughout the website. Innovation is the key in our quest toward making boat construction more environmentally sound. We are successfully introducing a wood called “Airheart” to the craft of catamaran building, we have built the first boat in existence made out of bamboo plywood and the first “Airheart” canoe.  Both Bamboo and “Airheart” are harvested from tree farms and represent the future of wood/epoxy composite technologies that are being pioneered at the Greenhorn Boat Shop. “Epoxy has about 75% fewer V.O.C.’s (volatile organic compounds) than polyester resin and about two-thirds fewer V.O.C.’s are released when it cures. Epoxy resins can also potentially be derived from from several types of plant resources, including sugar and agrigum (wild desert plant).”-(Surfrider

    At the Boat Shop we build wooden catamarans. We also have an interest in viking ships, canoes, kayaks and rowing vessels. Our apprenticeship and international exchange programs give people the chance to be guided through the craft of wooden boat building. Projects are high intensity and physically demanding, but the product is unparalleled in beauty and seaworthiness. The environment, the human condition and life’s quest for adventure form the basis of the founder’s ideal project aim. We build the highest quality sailing catamarans in the world, with the lowest low-tech tools. A few circular saws, jigsaws, sanders and drills are all we need to create the ultimate sailing machine out of wood. We don’t build popcorn boats made of fiberglass and we do not build with traditional methods exclusively. We represent a synthesis of the past and future. Our boats are built using high quality marine grade plywood, sustainable sources of lumber and we use epoxy rather than polyester resin.

“The cure for anything is salt water-sweat, tears, or the sea.” -Isak Dinesen

“I had a terrible education. I attended a school for emotionally disturbed teachers.”

-Woody Allen

Sailing History

In the history of sailing there has never been a more exciting time than now. Building materials have continually improved and new technologies have opened up a myriad of opportunities for innovative thinkers. About 6,000 years ago when ancient Polynesian cultures first ventured into the unknown vastness, the prospects of safe return were grim. Today, with the amassed knowledge of shipbuilding, sailors enjoy both the traditional school of thought and technological advances.  The modern catamaran represents one of the best examples of innovation on the water. It is fast, light and nimble, yet seaworthy enough to handle extreme oceanic conditions. This is the “Golden Age of Sail” for those who have discovered multihull sailboats and can recognize those built for quality from others built of cheap materials. As the old saying goes,”First there were wooden boats and iron men, then there were iron boats and wooden men, and now there are just a bunch of plastic boats and boys.” Whether on land or at sea, one thing is for sure, people are not made of the same stuff as in the old days. The following passage from the Ocean Almanac lends good evidence to this fact,“While they were sailing west, Viking navigators would release ravens into the air. If the birds flew back on the same course, the Viking boats would continue their westward course, but if the birds flew in any other direction, the Vikings would follow them to new lands and new conquests.” -Robert Hendrickson

“For whatever we lose, it's always ourselves we find in the sea.” - E.E. Cummings

   “Function is the the root of all true and genuine beauty.”

       -Stevenson Witborneck

“The world is a great book, of which they who never stir from home read only a page.”       –St. Augustine

Mountainous regions tend to remain untamed, because of their inhospitable climates and rough terrain. This type of environment presents a special opportunity for individuals to break out of the common-place-life of average people. The adventurous spirit of climbing mountains can be duplicated by nothing else on earth. It is solemn, spiritual and down right difficult. We endeavor to find not only the peak, but the characteristics of a mountain that distinguish it from others. Unlike conventional travel where an itinerary is followed, our expeditions focus on building projects in the regions of our particular interest.  The Lost Trades team has an interest in stackwall (cordwood) cabins and lodges or treehouses, underground and underwater dwellings. Internationally, our building projects reach out to people wishing to exchange trade knowledge and build functional creations.

Innovation for the ocean, the mountains & the environment

EST. 1999

2012 FILM EXPEDITION

Lost Trades endeavors to restore hope in humanity, inspire the youth and expound the potential of creativity through tangible and culturally tactile learning projects.

MOUNTAINS

T-SHIRTS THAT DONT SUCK

SAILING

Initiative-n. The power or ability to begin or follow though energetically with a plan or Task: enterprise and determination

Our initiative is a non-linear approach to the quality of life that exists in modern society. Increasingly people are convinced that they need preposterous gadgetry in order to make life easier. It is difficult to see a different way in a world that whips you into convention. Letting go of fear and breaking out into the world beyond your fingertips is easier said than done. We are building a small army of photographers, filmmakers, adventure educators, boat builders, mountaineers, sailors and other such inspired action heroes in order to broker this knowledge of living unfettered. All team members have what we call a passion sense and a good imagication. That is, they transcend the abilities of normal humans by their depth of character, motivation and a rare brand of professionalism. A new industry that we call Adventure Building will transform the trades and expound on a simple goal : be different, be creative and educate in an inspired manner.

Lost Trades represents a way of doing business that is almost extinct in the clicky-click-ethernet-nothingness of the present day business world. We thrive, one project at a time through genuine customer relations. Thoroughly researched, well articulated and downright meticulously conceptualized is the only way that we operate. Verbally concise and visually stunning is the highest goal for any and all presentations given by the Lost Trades Team. We give periodic slide shows and talks about environmental issues. Through superior imagery and honest narrative our presentations have the power to cause life-changing thoughts in the members of our audience. Whether the idea be for a charter-boat operation, a film or a treehouse resort, we have the tools to accomplish the most challenging and ambitious tasks.

AXIOM-n. A self-evident or universally recognized truth.

At Lost Trades uncommon sense is defined as the ability to connect truth with action. What looks good on paper is classically known fall apart in the field. Therefore, putting the cart before the horse is a necessity for starting large projects and carrying out ambitious dreams. With too many guidelines, blueprints and limitations conventional techniques cannot be improved. Often techniques must be developed in place at the point in a project when it would otherwise hit an impasse between written plan and tangible progress. Belief systems must be challenged, work ethics must be pushed and the framework of human potential can then achieve super-human goals. The building blocks of Lost Trades contained in our summary are the Axioms. These are simple, intuitive ideals that promote creativity, while allowing the team members to uphold the overall direction of the Lost Trades Initiative.

Our goal is to create meaningful and educationally charged projects and films that strike at the core of the human spirit. The axiom of positive change and the genuine objective of this organization is to create greatness in unlikely places and chase down opportunities obscured by hard work.     Our goal is to focus the knowledge of creative thinkers and derive our own artistic vision through film and photography, in order to translate ambition into results.

The driving force behind our organization is to inspire a renaissance of modern creativity.  At Lost Trades we have no time for flim-flam, do-gooders or lollygagers, we deal in the present challenges of the tangible world. Projects that speak to the universal language of creativity drive the inner workings of the organization.   We create, voyage and document the beauty of the earth in order to inspire change.  It is our belief that even a small contribution to society can be noticed in the context of a vast global community.  People learn best when inspired and not required to learn.

Hard work is the only way to churn out good results in life. Therefore, we are dedicated to devising methods that maximize the use of time and creative effort. Apprentices and mentors alike share the common goal of efficiency and a project driven agenda. We believe that there are only two kinds of people in the world: 1. there are individuals that build, inspire and create, and 2. there are the types of people that live off of the people who create. We mold average people into uncommonly driven creators. 

“They that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea.” - Thomas Fuller

THE ADVERSARY

“Except for the first day, before the beast got his sea-legs on, I had no peace of mind. After that, actuated by a spirit born, maybe, of his pasturage, this incarnation of evil threatened to devour everything from flying jibs to stern davits. He was the worst pirate I met on the whole voyage.”- Joshua Slocum

THE BEARDED MARAUDER

Our biggest adversary during the ALLURA project turned out to be a 85 pound horned devil that went by the name of Billy, which denoted the type of beast that we are referring to. This mutinous goat plagued our work-days at every turn. He broke into our wood loft and pooped on our marine-grade plywood, he ate bag lunches, he chewed on expensive boat pieces, he jumped on the hood of a purple Mercedes, he chased down two Grandmothers and constantly tormented the two little girls who lived nearby. It seemed that his reason for living was to bother us and that his escape from boredom was to stall us whenever possible. No matter what kind of barricades we set up to keep the little prankster away from the wood loft, he would work tirelessly to break them down and again we would find him standing proud on top of a $10,000 stack of plywood. One day after chasing him off, we were shuffling wood into a truck through the top window of the barn. After about 20 minutes of pushing wood out of the window Ryan bent over with his hands on his knees to take a breather. In that moment, alone in the wood loft, Ryan sensed a certain presence and had that instant, sinking feeling you get when you think you are being watched. Sure enough the horned bedraggler was behind him and having a staring match with Ryan’s backside. He was scraping his hoof on the ground in true Billy fashion and threatening to buck Ryan right out of the second story of the barn. Ryan looked between his legs and caught the beast in a deadlock stare - from the most vulnerable position. It was a reaction more than any kind of plan: Ryan jumped in a 180-of-fear and spooked the goat off using a combination of adrenaline and the nearest length of lumber. This was our lesson learned from having an animal for an adversary: goats and boats don’t mix. We succeeded that year despite our nemesis. We even had a chance to take pity on the poor goat, because it seems that after we were done storing things in the wood loft he felt that the game was still on. No one knows how many days he might have pranced around in celebration of having control of the wood loft. His proud victory dance must have gone on too long though, because we returned later to find a Billy sized hole in the loft next to a wood pile. The loft was about 12 ft. up and to the best of our investigative knowledge it seems that he must of leapt from the wood pile and all at once punched his little hooves through the particle-board loft only to plummet further to the hard concrete below. He survived and lived on to sabotage many more of our projects, but he never spent much more time in the loft or in the barn for that matter. The goat taught us some valuable lessons: never turn your back on a problem even if you think it has gone away, never gloat too much over a victory and don’t forget: gravity works.

Surfing   

Surfing may represent one of the hardest sports to describe on paper, but to those who paddle out and ride waves there is nothing like it. It cannot be fully regulated or made to follow any pattern, therefore it remains as an example of the world without gadgetry and meaningless gear. Anyone that tries to ascribe structure or time restraints to a boundless ocean deserves a cubicle and a good office job. But for every surfer there is a time when the currents of the ground swell, the wind, the shifting peaks of waves become knowable. Like a foreign language that slowly becomes familiar, surfing speaks to the primal undercurrents of the wanderer in all of us. Surfing melds movement with nature and expounds our connection to the sea. There is no bigger discrepancy between a thing that actually exists and a lack of any sufficient explanation for it. As Emerson says “No answer in words can solve a question of things.” Matt Warshaw makes his own attempt in the following passage: “Surfing, alone among sports, generates laughter at its very suggestion, and this is because it turns not a skill into an art, but an inexplicable and useless urge into a vital way of life.”

http://cdn1.libsyn.com/hmd/SurfSailOrDie.mov?nvb=20080904010359&nva=20080905010359&t=055e16e428c21d1ee8d79